Jordan - Sweetness

Christy Jordan

Workman Publishing New York

T his book is dedicated to that golden generation: your grandparents, my grandparents. The people who blazed the trail for us and taught us how to cook, snap beans, ice cakes, and set the table. This is dedicated to the strong arms that all too soon became frail and still managed to love us like no one else ever could. To the folks who seemed to know a little bit about everything and had the biggest hearts we will ever know. You are missed, but the sweetness you brought to our lives still remains.

To Grandmama, Granddaddy, and Lela:
I sure do miss you.

A cookie jar is meant to be filled with handmade treats, and these cookie recipes will ensure that its never empty! Theres something for everyone here: Graham Cracker Praline Cookies, Milk Dunkin Peanut Butter Cookies, Monster Cookies, Easy Coconut Macaroons, Flop Cookies, Candy Cane Cookies, Chewy Cranberry Zingers, and more.

There is something supremely satisfying about baking up a pan of brownies or bars and cutting them into squares for everyone to enjoy. Please a crowd with Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars, Easiest Smores Brownies, Chewy Pear Bars, Chocolate Chip Dream Bars, and Cranberry Bliss Bars.

A homemade cake makes any occasion special, especially when frosted with the perfect icing or topped with a decadent drizzle of glaze. Choose from all manner of cakes, like Mama Reeds Jam Cake, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Hummingbird Cake, Lemon Custard Poke Cake, Buttermilk Lime Pound Cake, Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, and Peanut Butter Cup Trifle.

No matter the reason or occasion, a slice of pie is always a welcome treat. Here youll find some of my familys favorite recipes plus tried-and-true classics, like Peach Buttermilk Pie, Chocolate Chess Pie, Faux Apple Pie, Frozen Oreo Pie, Strawberry Cream Pie, Fruit Cocktail Pie, and Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie.

Remarkably delicious but simple enough to whip up at a moments notice, dense cobblers and creamy puddings are a great addition to any gathering. You cant go wrong with recipes like Mimis Peach Cobbler, Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding, Lemon Syllabub, Sweet Potato Crme Brle, Old-Fashioned Butter Rolls (think cinnamon buns in a rich custard sauce), and Vanilla Wafer Pineapple Pudding.

No matter the time of day, homemade breads and muffins are the perfect treat to satisfy any sweet tooth. Fill up a breakfast basket with Moms Banana Bread, Strawberry Pecan Bread, and Amazing Pineapple Bread, or bake up some Apple Oat Muffins, Hot Cocoa Muffins, and Bake Shop Blueberry Muffins and tuck them, still warm, into lunch boxes or snack bags.

These classic dishes are staples of the Southern dessert table. Theyre refreshing, versatile, and have nearly endless variationsand youll find my favorites here: Peach Buttermilk Congealed Salad, Aunt Tinas Dr Pepper Salad, Raspberry Salad, Five-Cup Fruit Salad, Guilt-Free Orange Dream Salad, Ambrosia, and more.

These super easy crowd-pleasers are ideal for holidays and celebrations, easily transportable and even easier to devour! Make the party with a batch of Cream Cheese Mints, Cornethas Strawberry Candy, Chocolate Chip Meringues, Peanut Butter Cups, Cinnamon Cashews, and 3 kinds of fudge.

Nothings more inviting than an icy cold beverage on a hot summer dayor a warm mug that takes the chill off a cold one. Serve up Daddys Milkshakes, Old-Fashioned Egg Creams, Fresh Strawberry-ade, Southern Sweet Tea, and a whole host of simple, delectable drinks both cold and hot.

Missing something? Theres no need to make a special trip to the store when you can whip up
simple basics like Cookie Crumb Crust, Mix-in-Pan Pie Crust, Meringue, Homemade Whipped Cream, and other pantry staples.

M y entire life has been lived hand in hand with memories. First as a child, hearing the stories of folks long since gone, told amid laughter in rooms where there were so many assembled it was standing room only. Often, the more tender memories were shared at my mothers elbow in the kitchen, when she gave me a glimpse into her life when she had been my age. As I grew, the stories began to include me from time to time, my life becoming its own thread in the tapestry of family and friends. One of the great joys in my life now involves watching how my children, Brady and Katy, add their own threads to this ever-growing work of life.

Life is not always easy. Sometimes the hardships seem almost insurmountable. Stories of times in which my ancestors didnt know how they would make it through have, over time, been woven in with similar experiences from my parents and eventually people in my own generation.

I am reminded of my grandmama, Lucille, who always had a smile when a smile was needed most. Being that she was a Southern woman, many of my memories of her are in the kitchen. She had lived a hard life by anyones standards, but she managed to come to a point where food was plentifuland her cooking followed suit.

My grandmama never lacked appreciation for any dish that was set upon the table, and that genuine gratitude came from living in a place where food was scarce. She didnt dwell on that, though, as she placed bowls of vegetables and tender cuts of meat on a table that welcomed all. The final dish always brought a particular twinkle to her eye and made her usual smile all the more bright: dessert.

Weve got to have a little something sweet to finish it off, shed say. To someone who didnt know her life, they would think she was talking about the meal, and she was in a way. But when you sat back and listened to stories she told, the tales of hardship always ended on a good note, because no matter what trial the family had faced, they had grown closer, stronger, and more aware of the magnitude of blessings they possessed.

Grandmama taught me that life is going to present challenges, storms to weather, and great losses. We are going to fall down and it may take some time to stand up again. But amid all of this, the blessings rise up around us in friends, experiences, and moments of warmth and tenderness that our hearts capture and hold dear as if they were precious photographs, enclosed in a gilded frame.

And at the end of the day and at the end of a life, what we remember most is that special touch, the memories and laughter, the warmth and the love: the sweetness.

D o you ever pause to think about why we cook? Beyond the old Southern expression Well, weve gotta eat! and past the utility of meals and the physical purpose that they serve. When you put that off to the side and really take a look at the underlying picture, why is it that we cook?

For me, I dont necessarily cook because I am hungry. If it is just me, I grab a sandwich or make a salad. But when I cook for my family, thats different. I cook for them not just to feed them, but because I love them. And for me, cooking is a way to show that. I cook delicious food and take extra time beyond sandwiches and salads because I want to sit across from them and see them enjoy their meal while I hear about their day.

Why do we cook the old-fashioned dishes, though? Think about the recipes we grew up with. The handwritten ones, from old cookbooks with broken spines and pencil notes written in the margins. The ones where our heart leaps at finding a decades-old speck of flour that remains long after the cook has been gone from our lives.

We cook those recipes because we miss the people we have lost.